


steel hiding silk

by employedoutlaw



Series: a better queen [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, F/F, Heart Hunter Spoilers, Loveater Spoilers, Miraculous Ladybug Spoilers, Spoilers, also this is dedicated to bee—ilu !!, and i'm sure no matter what they do, be warned this was written before part two aired, canon machine broke here's something better, fixit fic, gotta cover all my basis with the spoiler tags, i'll be annoyed so here, i'm sorry but i mean...., it's not like things were lookin too hot before anyway, ml spoilers, no beta we die like men, so if i'm somehow inaccurate ( in a canon divergent fic...... )
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-12-16 08:51:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21033569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/employedoutlaw/pseuds/employedoutlaw
Summary: A growl rumbled low in her throat, hardly benefitting that of a queen. Her fist curled into a ball, nails digging into the soft skin of her palms. If she dug any further, there would be crescent-moon-shaped divots in her skin.And then an idea occurred to her.“Nothing,” said Chloé, voice hard. “She couldn’t care less about me. I’m done with her. She’s irrelevant. Utterly irrelevant.”





	1. honey and vinegar.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which chloé has faith in ladybug ( and wants to be a better person ) more than the writers would have you believe, and i'm once again re-writing this show because i have to do everything myself.

Chloé Bourgeois was not perfect. 

Not that she’d ever admit that out _ loud, _ of course, but she had certainly thought it, especially on those particularly low days when she missed Pollen and had seen Ladybug and Chat Noir swinging around the rooftops of Paris and defeating akuma without her. Despite the outward image she projected, she _ was _aware of what people said about her. Well aware, in fact. They didn’t try to hide it. 

_ Selfish. Cruel. Obnoxious. Childish. Heartless. _

And she couldn’t deny any of them. Not really. Even after trying to _ be _ better, a reputation like hers simply didn’t go away overnight, and while she hadn’t been the catalyst for an akuma ( intentionally or otherwise ) in a long time ( Like. _ Days. _And she’d had a pretty long record going before Aurelie or whatever her name was got another butterfly in her umbrella ), she still heard whispers. 

But why should she let _ that _bother her? They didn’t know. Well, they knew she was Queen Bee, because everyone in Paris did, but they didn’t know that she was getting better, because they didn’t want to think it. It would be so much easier for them to just pretend she was going to be a spoiled rotten heiress forever, so they had someone to aim their disdainful looks at. 

Yeah. Sure. It was a pretty thought. And certainly absolved _ her _of any blame. 

No matter what anyone said or thought, though, Chloé knew she was at least a good superhero. There’d been a rough start, sure, but that was in the past, and Ladybug knew that if she needed Queen Bee, Chloé would always be waiting for her, ready at a moment’s notice. She’d already proven herself with the whole Malediktator and Scarlet Moth thing, not to mention what happened with Miraculeur. Sure, she’d lost Mayura ( despicable bird ), but Ladybug knew that wasn’t on _ purpose. _ And it wasn’t as though Chloé hadn’t tried. The bottom line was that there was only one Queen Bee— _ her— _and she was ready whenever Ladybug had need of her. 

She hadn’t gotten that Bee Signal specially commissioned for _ no reason _ . Ladybug needed to be able to know that whenever a new akuma appeared, Chloé was waiting in the wings for her to show up with that beautiful red and black box, the comb and Pollen inside, waiting for _ her _in turn. 

Though, recently...Queen Bee hadn’t gotten a chance to shine much at all. And maybe that was simply due to the skills of her idol—Ladybug was absolutely amazing, and she always had that cat around, too—but Chloé could never stop that annoying pang of jealousy and _ hurt _in her heart when a new Miraculous holder was seen. A new hero who wasn’t her. 

Rena Rogue and Carapace didn’t really count, having come before her, but seeing them didn’t help much, either. It wasn’t like _ they _ hadn’t messed up in the past, too. Chloé could _ distinctly remember _ a few scarlet butterflies headed their way during the whole Day of Heroes fiasco: Carapace hadn’t even needed to get _ hit _by one of those hatred-inducing arrows. 

And seeing them involved in fighting whatever new akuma had shown up to try and ruin the day...it stung, too. Team Miraculous, back together...only without her. Because she was selfish. Cruel. Obnoxious. Childish. Heartless. 

If she was honest, her parents getting dual-akumatized wasn’t really a question of _ if, _ but more _ when. _ Things between them had been rocky for years, even before Chloé herself had entered the picture: there was a reason Audrey spent so much of her time in New York, and it wasn’t just because of her work. The fact that she had stayed in Paris for such a long time was nothing short of a miracle, but not a good one. More in the sense of ‘it’s _ incredible _ to believe that even had the _ potential _ to happen’ _ . _

Not that Chloé would have _ complained _ if she’d left for New York and didn’t come back. She was done cowing to her mother: she’d made that very clear. There were still appearances to keep up, and she didn’t want to _ completely _ break her father’s heart, but there would be no more attempts at emulating the woman for whom _ nothing _ could ever be good enough. And that was fine. Chloé had long since made her peace with that. But then Audrey _ didn’t leave. _

And for a while, it looked like Audrey was content—well, as content as she could be with anything—in pushing around her husband and firing random hotel staff. But of course, things had boiled over eventually ( part of Chloé believed that Gabriel Agreste had made that _ thing _ so hideous on purpose, though she couldn’t think of a reason _ why _ . Honestly, what was it even supposed to _ be? _ It didn’t look like any cloak _ she’d _ever seen. It looked more like that ‘get-along-shirt’ thing she’d seen while scrolling online ), which was why her parents were now traipsing around Paris, finding any love they could and gobbling it up. 

She’d barely escaped with her _ life, _ thank you very much, and while it was easy to admit that there was hardly any love for her parents these days ( especially what they’d become, and she didn’t mean the akuma ), there were some things—some _ ones _ —that she still loved, very dearly, and she couldn’t risk becoming an _ appetizer _before she finally got the chance to act on that love. 

However, when she got to the roof, her Bee Signal was ruined. The cord had been cut, preventing her from turning it on and getting Ladybug’s attention, and the spotted superheroine was clearly having trouble with their newest foe. She was swinging around all over the place, trying not to get zapped, and when she finally used her yoyo to swing by the Palace, Chloé was quick to get her attention. _ I’m waiting for you. _

It only made sense, right? Queen Bee could stun their opponents if she got the hit with Venom ( and with her amazing skill, there was no way she’d miss ), and from then on, getting the akuma would be easy. Ladybug would see what an amazing hero she was, and maybe there could even be talk of her keeping the Miraculous permanently. Or, at least, receiving it on a more regular basis. 

Minutes passed. Nothing. Time was always a tricky thing to measure during akuma fights, but it certainly wouldn’t take Ladybug _ that _long to get her Miraculous and bring it back to Chloé. A flash of red and black moved in her peripheral, and Chloé preened, ready to accept the comb—but then there was another red and black figure, jumping rooftops alongside Ladybug. 

Another new hero. Who wasn’t her. 

Chloé had never seen this dragon-girl before, but just the sight was enough to cause anger to boil in her stomach. What did _ she _ have that Queen Bee didn’t? What could _ she _ do that _ Chloé _ couldn’t? This was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! 

Her fist pounded on the balcony’s iron rail, pain barely registering as tears started to prick at her eyes. Great. Now she’d have runny make-up, too. Way to rub salt in her wounds, universe. She didn’t understand. She just didn’t understand! Why...didn’t Ladybug trust in her? 

The Bee Signal—stupid, _ useless _thing—was kicked over, and her head placed firmly on the railing. She didn’t want to see this. She didn’t want to see anything. 

“Chloé Bourgeois,” said a low, familiar voice from behind her. Blue eyes widen as she turned around—she’d only ever seen him once, and he’d disappeared quickly after that. The man holding Paris hostage. Hawk Moth, standing right in front of her. He continued, towering over her. “Rejections _ hurt. _ Your talents deserve to be recognized. Ladybug and Chat Noir’s reign has gone on long enough. It’s time for Paris to have a new queen. And the queen on my chessboard is _ you.” _

Her fists clenched at her sides, and she stood up straighter. Like hell she was just going to let him think he could _ intimidate _ her, _ please _ her with pretty words that didn’t mean _ anything. _ She’d had his voice in her ear before, and _ beaten _ it. Now wasn’t going to be any different. She...She is a _ superhero. _

“You akumatized my parents! If I had my Miraculous, I’d—!” 

A purple-clad hand is held up, cutting her off ( and oh, if that doesn’t make her burn even hotter with anger...who does he think he is?! Negative emotions around _ him _ are certainly risky, but she can’t help it. Not to mention she’s _ rejected _his smooth promises of power before. Nice try, old man ). “You’re right. But I did it for one reason only—so you would finally realize that Ladybug will never give you the Bee Miraculous again.” 

A sharp pain in her chest, like she’s been stabbed. Talk about knowing where it hurts. But...it’s only because it’s _ dangerous, _right? Obviously Hawk Moth already knows who she is. He knows how to get to her. He’s already akumatized her parents, and now…

“I, however, always keep my promises,” said Hawk Moth, holding out a hand. Chloé’s blood ran cold, a stark contrast to her fiery anger. That was her comb. Pollen’s miraculous. In the hands of this _ evil _man. No way. This was a trick, or a lie, or some kind of illusion to get her on his side. 

“This isn’t real!” She said, certainty lacing her words. “How do _ you _have it?” 

“Try it,” he offered. “See for yourself.” 

Her gaze flicked back and forth between villain and Miraculous as he kept talking. “You’re Ladybug’s greatest fan. You’ve helped her. You’ve _ trusted _her. And what has she done for you in return?” 

A growl rumbled low in her throat, hardly benefitting that of a queen. Her fist curled into a ball, nails digging into the soft skin of her palms. If she dug any further, there would be crescent-moon-shaped divots in her skin. 

And then an idea occurred to her. 

“Nothing,” said Chloé, voice hard. “She couldn’t care less about me. I’m _ done _with her. She’s irrelevant. Utterly irrelevant.”

A hand shot out to grab the comb before another thought occurred to her. Her glare was still vicious: if looks could kill, Hawk Moth probably would have spontaneously combusted. “I want you to de-akumatize my parents_ .” _

“Whatever you say, My Queen,” he practically purred, with the tone of a man who knew he’d won. She had to physically prevent herself from noticeably shivering. That was _ Pollen’s _ name for her, and hearing it come out of _ his _mouth…

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. He appeared a bit taken aback, but nodded nonetheless. She finally grabbed the comb from his hand and wasted no time in positioning it among her blonde locks, right below her sunglasses where it belonged. The spark of yellow and gold glimmering light appeared from the jewel, and Pollen appeared, looking more scared and apprehensive than Chloé had ever seen her. 

“Majesty—” 

“Pollen. Are you alright? Has he hurt you in _ any _way?” Her words were still clipped, but she carefully took the little kwami into her hands, as though examining her for injuries. Pollen blinked, her fear replaced with confusion, and Chloé could see Hawk Moth raise a brow from under his stupid cowl as well. He clearly hadn’t been expecting such an open display of affection from Chloé for a being who wasn’t herself, but that showed what he knew about her. 

“No, My Queen, I am fine, but—”

“Good. Now, you’re going to do exactly as I say, alright? Do you trust me?”

“Of—of course I do, but Chloé, _ please— _”

“Alright. Pollen, _ transforme-moi!” _

Any other protests the kwami had were abruptly cut off as she was sucked back into the comb, and while part of Chloé felt bad about that ( she was just concerned, and _ worried _ about her holder… ) the heiress could _ not _ risk losing the Miraculous again. The feeling of _ power _enveloped her, and while there were no flashy gestures—not this time—she was still very much Queen Bee. Hawk Moth looked on her approvingly and nodded. 

“Kwami can sometimes be annoying little creatures, but we do need them to power our Miraculous,” he said, as though he was speaking from experience. For a moment, Queen Bee wondered what his own kwami went through: if they were anything like Pollen, they were probably being _ enslaved _ into doing Hawk Moth’s bidding, rather than out of any sort of willingness, but she pushed the thought away. Not now. 

Instead, she merely nodded. “Now. De-akumatize my parents.” 

A twisted grin appeared on his face, and he snapped his fingers. Instantly, she knew the deed was done: wherever Ladybug and the others were during their fight, it wasn’t _ that _far from the Palace, and all the sounds of the struggle abruptly stopped. Queen Bee could see ( and feel ) Miraculous Ladybug’s power as the swarm of ladybugs flew around the city. Ladybug’s use of Lucky Charm meant she had roughly five minutes before she detransformed, taking the new girl’s Miraculous with her. Queen Bee had to act fast. It didn’t look like Cataclysm had been used, which meant Chat Noir wasn’t on the same timer, but she wasn’t as concerned with him. 

She stared out into the city skyline. Behind her, Hawk Moth piped up. “I’ve kept up my end of the bargain. Your parents are free. And now—” He reached for his cane, inside the globe where she knew another akuma was hidden. 

“Wait,” said Queen Bee, holding up a hand. A flash of irritation appeared on the villain’s face, but disappeared just as quickly, replaced with inquisition. “Mayura. Is she around right now?” 

His confusion only seemed to grow before he nodded, turning his head to gesture at a nearby rooftop. Immediately, Queen Bee could see the peacock from where she was perched, hidden near a chimney, and with her boss’ gesture, she made a leap to the balcony to stand at his side. There was a smile on her face, but it looked smug—much more fitting that of a snake than a bird. 

“We’re so glad you’ve finally come to your senses, Chloé,” said Mayura. 

“You will refer to me as _ Queen Bee. _Nothing else.” 

Mayura’s head tilted upward in a soft indignation before she dipped her head again. “Very well. _ Queen Bee. _You will do fantastic work with us—leagues better than anything Ladybug could dream of.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

Hawk Moth’s hand brushed over the top of his cane once more. “Now, Queen Bee, if you’re ready—”

“Wait. One more thing,” said Queen Bee, standing as tall as she could. Three minutes, and that was if she was lucky and Ladybug hadn’t already fled the scene. Any pretense of playing along was gone on Hawk Moth’s end, and he looked truly annoyed now. Queen Bee took a deep breath. 

“You know, I really can’t thank you enough for this opportunity, Hawk Moth. I was worried I would never get to be Queen Bee again, and I don’t think I can imagine many things that are worse than that. I’ll give you credit where it’s due: you’re _ very _good at making people want to impress you. You’ve got lots of pretty words, and I’ve fallen for them more times than I’d like to think about.”

Both villains’ brows furrowed as Queen Bee continued. “But now, I think it’s time to finally prove myself to the person I _ actually _ care about impressing. _ Venom!” _

Four things happened in rapid succession. Queen Bee’s spinning top glowed as it retracted back to her hand from its place on her hip, growing its trademark bee stinger and enveloping her right hand. She jumped forward as quickly as she could, aiming for Hawk Moth in an attempt to immobilize him. However, Mayura jumped in front of him, right in the path of Queen Bee’s Venom strike: the point disappeared into her chest, leaving the bird immobilized. Hawk Moth’s eyes widened, as did Queen Bee’s, but she could work with this. 

With Mayura stuck and Hawk Moth still shocked, she had maybe two seconds before he came to his senses and fought back, so she swiped the brooch off of Mayura’s chest and jumped backwards into the air, swinging her top so it connected with a nearby building. If he didn’t want her ( or anyone else, for that matter ) to find out Mayura’s identity, he would grab her and book it: she was still frozen, and would be until Queen Bee’s transformation dropped. A bright blue light enveloped Mayura’s body, and Queen Bee squinted—when the light was gone, so too were the villains, having disappeared completely. Part of her chastised herself. Finding out who Mayura was ( or, at least, having a face to watch out for if she didn’t know the name, which was entirely possible: Paris was a huge city, after all ) certainly would have helped in the long run, but for now…

Queen Bee looked down at her hand and smirked at the peacock brooch laying in her palm. It had reverted back to its glamoured state: though, if you asked her, it was still a little bit _ too _ conspicuous. Honestly, how many people _ would _wear peacock brooches in the first place? 

Two minutes to find Ladybug, if luck was with her. And now, she was on her own timer. Getting as far away from the Palace as possible was also a good idea: Hawk Moth still knew who she was without the mask, and would no doubt be on the lookout for her, both as a villain and a civilian. Ladybug...had been right about that. There was still danger waiting for her because he knew who she was. 

Well. He hadn’t known as much as he _ thought, _ had he? To think, he _ actually _ believed that _ she _ of all people would _ betray _ Ladybug. Her acting skills were much better than _ he’d _ ever suspected, and she’d certainly made him sorry for underestimating her. Him _ and _ that despicable bird. 

The wind felt amazing as she soared through the sky: she never thought she'd feel it again. Normally, Chloé would make some sort of fuss about it messing up her hair, but right now, she couldn’t have cared less. She held onto the brooch as tightly as she could, scanning both the skies and the streets for that unmistakable shade of red. 

As she passed over Place des Vosges, a pair of pigtails caught her eye, and she immediately dove down as quickly as she could. “Lady—!”

However, as she made contact with the ground and the pigtails’ owner spun around, Queen Bee’s jubilance faded: ugh. It was just _ Dupain-Cheng. _ Who looked absolutely _ shocked _to see the fabulous Queen Bee in front of her. Her eyes were blown wide, and her mouth was slack-jawed. Queen Bee might have laughed if she didn’t have more important matters to attend to. 

“Chlo—Queen Bee? What—how—?”

“Ugh, I don’t have time for _ twenty questions, _ Dupain-Cheng! I was _ looking _ for Ladybug, but your stupid pigtails distracted me.” A chirping sound rang just above her ear, and the superheroine groaned: she had less than a minute left. Grabbing her top once again, she was going to toss it in the other direction and swing away when there was a _ tugging sensation _ , and she found herself being _ dragged away _ by _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng, _of all people, towards the probably-disgusting merry-go-round. What on earth was happening right now?! Of course, if she really wanted to, she could easily break the other girl’s hold on her, but she’d been taken by surprise, and—much as she disliked Dupain-Cheng—Queen Bee was well aware that she gained a strength boost when powered up, and didn’t want to accidentally break Marinette’s hand or wrist. 

Marinette shoved Queen Bee into the empty merry-go-round control center ( _ honestly, _ who did she think she _ was? _ ) and sat the two of them down, looking more serious than Chloé had _ ever _ seen her. “_Chloé _,” she said, and Queen Bee was too taken aback to correct her. Before she even got the chance to respond, her timer finally ran out: a bright yellow light zipped up her entire body and gathered to form Pollen, who would have fallen to the ground had Chloé not held her hands out and caught her. Concern immediately replaced any irritation with Marinette she might have had. Pollen had looked really worried and scared before she’d gone back into the comb, but now Chloé could reassure her that everything was alright. 

“Pollen! Oh, no: I don’t have anything for you to eat right now, I’m sorry!” Given their relationship, she’d never actually had to feed Pollen after detransforming before, but she knew that she would need food of _ some _kind in order to get her energy back up. Queen Bee would need to return ASAP, but right now, Chloé’s concern was with her friend’s well-being. 

The poor little thing was clearly exhausted, but she managed to blink up at Chloé with a small, absolutely relieved smile. “My Queen...you...you didn’t…” 

“Shh, save your energy. We’re going to need you in top shape soon, okay?” Chloé said softly, holding Pollen close to her cheek in the kwami / human equivalent of a hug. Chloé didn’t have a bag on her for Pollen to rest in ( though, glancing over at Dupain-Cheng, maybe a little coin purse like that wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially if she could convince Ladybug to let her be Queen Bee permanently ), so she instead gently placed Pollen on her shoulder. The kwami had enough strength to hold on, at least, which was good. 

Turning her gaze back on Dupain-Cheng, the other girl...didn’t seem surprised. Sad, maybe, or...a little fond? Of course, Chloé hadn’t really expected her to be shocked—she had been there when Queen Bee had first made her debut, so she ( along with the rest of Paris ) knew who the heroine really was. But that didn’t really explain that weird expression. 

Actually...the more Chloé thought about it, the more ideas began to form in her mind. Dupain-Cheng didn’t live far from here, she was pretty sure. And Hawk Moth had no reason to look for her either at the Dupain-Cheng house or with the girl herself: it was common knowledge that they didn’t get along at all, not to mention Dupain-Cheng was a total nobody. There was no way Hawk Moth would try to look for her there, and—though she shivered at the thought—maybe she could borrow some clothes to work as a disguise until Queen Bee was able to meet up with Ladybug somehow. While the spotted superheroine was mostly only seen during akuma attacks, Chloé ( obviously ) knew that she sometimes did patrols, too, and she could always try and use her top to contact Ladybug as well. 

Well. That settled that, then. Chloé stared at Marinette, trying to put all of her focus into looking as serious and heroic as possible. “Dupain-Cheng. I, the heroic Chloé Bourgeois—ugh, I can’t believe I’m saying this...I need your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp. here we go.
> 
> honestly, i really hope i can keep up with this—my schedule may be busy, but this is a gift for a friend, and i really want to continue. granted, i have no idea what's going to happen in part two ( and i'll be honest, when i was writing this, the last i heard was that it was going to be airing in december, not tomorrow the 15th, so ), but i think we've established i have no problem with re-writing episodes and things from this series that i don't like, so here we are.
> 
> also, i know that this ending kind of ruins the whole lukanette moment we got in the end, but please don't think i'm specifically against that ship or anything—i actually like it a lot. just. y'know, the way things ended up playing out, chloé intersected mari before she could have her cute / sad moment with blueberry rock boi.
> 
> i hope you guys like it ! comments and kudos are always appreciated, and certainly help me write faster. once again, this is dedicated to bee—i love you !!! you're the queen to my ladybug !!!


	2. kwami and macarons.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which poor marinette is very confused for a minute, before agreeing to help out the heroic chloé bourgeois.

And here Marinette thought this day couldn’t get any more overwhelming. 

It already felt like everything was crushing her from every angle, and now _ this _ . Dozens of questions were swirling through her mind, both old and new: as in, those _ before _the last five minutes, and the ones that had spontaneously appeared along with Chloé Bourgeois and the Bee Miraculous.

How had she even gotten her hands on it? For a split second, the fact that she had it and Master Fu was nowhere to be found painted an awful picture in her mind, but she dismissed it quickly: Chloé could certainly be a brat, but she wasn’t _ evil. _Attacking and possibly kidnapping a ( seemingly ) defenseless old man wasn’t something she would do, even if she wanted her Miraculous. Besides, she had no reason to believe that Master Fu would be able to give her the comb anyway—she’d never met the man, and certainly didn’t know of the connection between him and the jewelry. 

Guilt still sat heavy in her stomach: Master Fu’s disappearance was _ her _fault. She hadn’t detransformed before going to see him, and while she was sure that Mayura had been led astray by her trick...either the bird had realized sooner than Ladybug had thought and still managed to tail her, or...there was another player on the field. 

She was so lost in thought that she barely registered Chloé’s last sentence until a pair of perfectly manicured fingers snapped in her face, bringing her back to reality. Marinette blinked. “Wait...what?”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “Are you _ seriously _ gonna make me say it again? I need your _ help, _ Dupain-Cheng.” She said the word _ help _ like it tasted nasty: if Marinette looked closely, she could almost see the heiress _ shiver _at the notion. If Marinette was being honest, it had been less an issue of not understanding and more not hearing. 

And while watching Chloé actually ask her for aid was...surprisingly satisfying, she was more concerned with what had _ led _to this. 

“Okay—just. Before we do _ anything, _ what happened?” asked Marinette. Literally _ any _explanation would be welcome right now. 

Chloé stared at her for a minute, as if trying to decide whether or not she should say anything, then took a breath. “Hawk Moth thought he could _ bribe _ me into joining his team with my Miraculous: I have no idea how he got it, but he _ clearly _underestimated me. I was able to get away from him, but now my kwami needs something to eat, and I have to stay out of the public eye, and away from the hotel. 

“Since he knows who I am...he’s probably looking for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sent another akuma out for me, but whatever it ends up being, it probably won’t be my parents. I had him de-akumatize them. I was trying to find Ladybug so I could tell her more, but...you know. I timed out before that could happen.” 

It was hard not to say ‘I _ told _ you that’ in regards to the danger that came when someone knew a secret identity, but Marinette bit her tongue— _ she _ hadn’t told Chloé _ anything _like that. 

Chewing on the inside of her lip, Marinette considered the story. It certainly explained how Chloé had gotten the comb—if Hawk Moth had ambushed and successfully overpowered Master Fu, then that meant he had the _ entire Miracle Box. _ Her blood ran cold at the thought. Hawk Moth, with _ all _ that power…Master Fu was MIA, and unless the kwami could resist the villain ( which was entirely possible, at least for a little while; he didn’t know their names, and therefore couldn’t call their transformations ), they were in _ serious _trouble. 

There was also the possibility that Chloé was lying. This whole thing could be a huge gambit: though, if that were true, why would Chloé tell her this in the first place? She’d only been mistaken for Ladybug because of her _ pigtails. _ The other girl had no reason to believe there was any sort of connection between Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Ladybug. _ She’d probably reject any similarities she saw on principle, _Marinette thought dryly. The idea of her hero and the girl she loathed at school being the same person was absolutely unfathomable to Chloé, Marinette already knew that for a fact. 

Still. While it certainly felt as though she wasn’t getting the whole story, maybe that was just because there wasn’t a mask on her face. Chloé needed Marinette’s help right now, so she’d only tell her what was necessary.

Revealing more than she needed to was dangerous. It looked like that lesson had finally sunk in. 

Marinette took a steadying breath of her own and nodded. “Okay. My house is just across the street from here. We can get something for your kwami to eat, and...I don’t know, maybe a disguise of some kind for you in the meantime. Ladybug really only shows up during akuma attacks, so meeting up with her soon might be difficult.”

Chloé sniffed. “Hmph. Shows what _ you _know—Ladybug does patrols, too.” A moment passed before she seemed to realize exactly what she was doing: Chloé Bourgeois had never been a beggar ( not admittedly, anyway ), but this time she couldn’t afford to be a chooser. “But...yes, that would be...very appreciated. Pollen likes anything with honey. You’ll have something like that in your patisserie, right?” 

Marinette nodded. “We’ll have plenty. She can eat and rest up for as long as she needs to. We’ll get you some new clothes, maybe change your hair a little bit to make you as unrecognizable as possible.” She stood up inside the control center and looked around at the scattered mess sadly. _ I’ll fix this soon, Master. _

A hand outstretched to Chloé, still on the ground, and while at first the blonde looked slightly stricken ( about particularly what, Marientte couldn’t say: probably a mix of everything ), a determined look set upon her face, and she took Marinette’s hand, pulling herself up. 

It didn’t take long at all for them to merely cross the street, but Marinette didn’t miss the way that Chloé’s eyes kept glancing upwards towards the rooftops, either watching for Ladybug or keeping an eye out for their foes. Her left hand was still tightly closed: she hadn’t even opened it when catching her kwami, instead using her free one. 

The bell above the boulangerie’s door chimed, and Marinette poked her head through the threshold. Neither of her parents were around right now: they’d mentioned something about errands today, and as such, they were gone and the shop was closed. Chloé followed Marinette as they entered, surprisingly keeping quiet. Maybe her own mind was too busy with thoughts and concerns. Pollen, poor thing, was still holding onto Chloé’s jacket, but looked like she could slip into unconsciousness at any moment. 

“My dad made some lavender honey macarons not too long ago—will that be okay?” asked Marinette. Granted, they were for an event soon, but they wouldn’t notice one or two missing. Chloé cast a glance at the little kwami and nodded in Marinette’s direction. “That’s fine.” The _ thank you _was unspoken, but Marinette could still feel it, and a small smile came to her lips. 

Honestly, the biggest surprise with Chloé having the Bee Miraculous fall into her possession ( oh, it felt like so long ago… ) was how quickly she’d bonded with Pollen. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised—Alya and Nino had become friendly very quickly with their own kwami, but that...was different. But there was clearly a friendship between the pair: Ladybug had seen Chloé’s concern for the kwami after Queen Wasp’s akuma had been purified. 

Before then, even despite some evidence to the contrary, Marinette thought that at the end of the day, the only thing Chloé cared about was herself. But the concerned looks she kept shooting at the kwami ( not to mention how much she was paying attention to make sure Pollen didn’t fall )...it was more than the attitude that one would take just because they had use of someone else.

Marinette had actually gotten the chance to talk to Pollen a bit more since she’d gotten the comb back the first time, and she reminded the girl a lot of Tikki: Pollen was polite, courteous, and as sweet as her favorite food. And Marinette could tell that she cared about Chloé as well. She hadn’t mentioned much about Chloé without prompting ( maybe worried that the attitude towards her holder wouldn’t be a positive one ), but her voice had been small and concerned when she asked if the girl was alright after the whole Queen Wasp debacle.

Marinette had been honest: it seemed like it. Her breaking away from her mother had certainly done her good, and while she could still be a pain at times, she was nowhere near as much of a terror as she had been in the past.

And this time, she’d successfully gotten away from Hawk Moth’s influence _ again... _

Grabbing a few macarons carefully, Marinette handed them to Chloé, and gestured for her to follow through the other door, leading them to the staircase. The trek upwards was similarly silent, apart from Pollen’s munching on the macaron. Even at the discovery that the way to Marinette’s room was through a trapdoor didn’t break the blonde’s silence, though as Marinette climbed, she thought she could hear a small noise of maybe-disdain. Glancing down, she noticed that Chloé still hadn’t opened her left hand. 

Immediately after entering the room, Tikki flew out of Marinette’s bag as quickly as she could and hid behind a nearby picture frame. It would be easier for her to hear what was going on from outside the little coin purse, and while it was probably unlikely to happen, Marinette could tell that Tikki ached to reassure her fellow kwami. 

Seeing Chloé in her room was...slightly jarring, but not enough to distract Marinette from the bigger picture. Moving towards her closet, she immediately began opening drawers looking for clothes. She and Chloé were pretty close in size, so they shouldn’t have to worry about that...“Okay—if you want to sit over there on the chaise while Pollen eats, that’s fine. I’ll look through my things for some clothes you can wear, and maybe a hat. I can do your hair in a different style too, if you think that’ll help. Anything to keep Hawk Moth off your tail.” 

Hopefully, after this, Chloé would be able to transform and try to find Ladybug—i.e, _ Marinette— _with some discretion. After that, she could transform herself and meet up with Queen Bee, get the whole story, and figure out what to do. Maybe she could try calling Master Fu again on his phone, or...maybe she could even try using her akuma capture to call the holder of the Turtle Miraculous. It was a long shot: Master Fu hadn’t been able to transform in a long time, but if he’d really come under attack, then there wouldn’t have been any other choice. 

A few moments of rummaging later, and Marinette had a decent-sized pile of clothes for Chloé to choose from, all of them relatively inconspicuous: nothing with bright colors or that looked too expensive. The most important thing was making sure that Hawk Moth didn’t recognize _ Chloé _ were he to spot her in the street. Turning, Marinette made to hand them to Chloé, but she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight in front of her. 

Chloé had taken her hair out of its normal ponytail, removed her sunglasses, and was holding Pollen carefully in her free hand as the kwami continued to snack on macarons. Sunlight from the circular window was streaming through the panes and made it appear as though the girl was glowing. She wore a soft expression, unlike any that Marinette had ever seen on her—small smile curled the edges of her lips as she watched Pollen, and she looked...content. Maybe even relaxed, despite the situation. There was a calmness to her that hadn’t been there since they’d run into each other. It was almost like an aura. Marinette blinked, completely at a loss for words. 

She stayed like that for a solid thirty seconds before Chloé looked up at her, and just like that, the moment was gone. An unimpressed look replaced her previous smile, and she glanced down at the pile, motioning for Marinette to place it on the chaise next to her. Marinette scowled, dropping the clothes. 

“Here you are, your _ highness,” _ said Marinette, rolling her eyes and moving to the other side of the room, near her sink and vanity mirror. This was normal. Being annoyed with Chloé for whichever reason was at least _ some _semblance of the status quo she was used to, and right now, she would cling to that like a lifeline. 

Chloé stared at the clothes for a moment and made a surreptitious glance to her closed fist. Well, she probably _ thought _ it had been surreptitious—Marinette could see her motions in the mirror. Her eyes flicked upward to Marinette. Maybe she was a little _ too _ obvious in how quickly she glanced away, but evidently not so much so that Chloé was still worried she was being watched. Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette could see the other girl hand something to Pollen, and whisper some instructions. It was hard to tell what had been passed along ( and she would probably learn about it when she met up with Chloé as Ladybug ), but that didn’t stop her curiosity. 

The silence in the room was...weird. It wasn’t really _ tense, _ or anything, but it certainly wasn’t one of those comfortable silences you could have when you were spending time with your best friend just by being in the same room together. Marinette still burned with questions, but held her tongue: Chloé had said all she was going to say to _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng _for right now. 

As Chloé rifled through the clothes, picking and choosing what she’d wear, Marinette couldn’t help but remember a time when they hadn’t been enemies. Once upon a time, they’d actually been friends: not _ best _ friends, of course, but they certainly hadn’t loathed each other then the way they did in the last couple of years. But then, they’d had an argument over something stupid—Marinette couldn’t even remember what it was at this point—and they hadn’t been friends since. 

Without even meaning to, Marinette wondered if Chloé remembered that, too. 

She hardly noticed when Chloé stepped out from behind the little divider Marinette had in her room—she’d moved it to the other half, away from anything reflective. The girl cleared her throat. 

Marinette turned and glanced at Chloé. She’d picked out a dark navy-blue dress that hit just above her knees, as well as an ivory, long sleeved cardigan that was a little long in the sleeves, giving her sweater paws. Her necklace stayed on, as did the Bee Miraculous, but she had no other jewelry in sight. She’d even wiped her eyeshadow off, and with that missing detail, coupled with her hair down and such a change in style, it was hard to recognize her immediately. 

Even the way she carried herself was different—it was a far cry from the way she normally carried herself, as though she were princess of Paris. She seemed to curl in towards herself a bit, as though timid or modest. Two words that were generally _ not _used to describe Chloé Bourgeois. 

Well. If she’d been able to fool Hawk Moth into thinking she’d join him, she must be a better actress than Marinette had given her credit. The pair stared at each other for a moment, and Chloé coughed softly again. “Uh—you said you’d do my hair, right?” Man, even her _ voice _ had changed slightly: it was much more...quiet. Less shrill. If she were to walk up to Françoise Dupont and sit down in Mlle. Bustier’s class, people might do double-takes. _ Was _ ** _that _ ** _ really Chloé Bourgeois? _

So. A perfect disguise. Marinette bit the inside of her cheek—anything to bring herself back to the moment: they were on a time-sensitive mission here—and nodded. “Oh, um, yes. If you’ll just sit down, I can do something with it…” 

Chloé nodded, and after a moment of hesitation, she took the Bee Miraculous out of her hair and held it in her hands tightly, like she was afraid it would disappear. It didn’t look like Pollen had disappeared into the thing—probably because Chloé was in _ no _way giving the comb up. While Marinette’s brow furrowed, she didn’t dally, and grabbed a curling iron that had been sitting on her sink.

She’d actually started heating it up while Chloé had been changing: she didn’t use it much herself, preferring to instead stick with her pigtails, but that she could still make a mean ringlet. Grabbing it and a brush, she stood above where Chloé was sat back on the chaise, who saw the tool and pulled a face. 

“You better not _ burn _me, Dupain-Cheng. And so help me, if this damages my perfect hair…” 

Marinette rolled her eyes again. One of these days, she’d go blind. “Oh, ye of little faith. I’ve gotten pretty good at using this thing, don’t you worry. Besides, I don’t think I could hurt your hair any more than all the hairspray and dye you use does.” 

Chloé made an affronted noise. “Are you implying I’m not a real blonde?” 

Taking a strand of hair, Marinette smirked. “I don’t know—_ is _ that what I’m saying?” _ She didn’t deny the hairspray part, _she noted with a small giggle. 

She huffed, but it was much more subdued: Chloé clearly didn’t want to move too much out for fear of getting tapped by the iron.

Marinette moved quickly and accurately—it was much easier to do this on someone else than try to get all the difficult parts on your own head. However, she worked carefully, as well: Chloé Bourgeois' biggest fan she was not, but she’d never intentionally _ burn _ the girl. 

Before she knew it, a song was humming behind her lips as she worked, and it seemed as though Chloé was relaxing, too. As Marinette ran through her hair with the brush, leftover tension almost melted off of her. It even looked like her eyes had closed. 

Sometimes, Sabine Cheng did her daughter’s hair, and it always felt wonderful. Marinette couldn’t picture Audrey Bourgeois doing anything of the sort. Chloé probably had stylists, of course, but that wasn’t the same thing at all. Not really.

Looking around, Marinette couldn’t see Pollen anywhere—maybe she’d met up with Tikki. It looked like there was something in the pocket of the cardigan Chloé was wearing, however: whatever Pollen had been holding, she’d given it back to Chloé while Marinette’s back had been turned. 

She could look, if she wanted. Chloé’s eyes were closed, and it wouldn’t be difficult at all for Marinette to simply look over and into the little side pocket to see exactly what Chloé was so intent on hiding, but...she didn’t. Maybe because she’d get to know as Ladybug, maybe because she didn’t want to potentially ruin a calm moment...or maybe because if she did, she’d be betraying Chloé’s trust. 

It’s not like the heiress had many other visible options at the moment, but she could have easily walked away and found someone else to help her. But she’d put her faith in Marinette. 

Once the last curl had been set, Marinette grabbed a small bottle of hairspray: nothing aerosol. Rather, this one had a small pump, though it would certainly get the job done. “Hold your breath, and keep your eyes closed,” she cautioned, using the spray on Chloé’s new curls. The formula would set quickly, then Marinette could tousle the curls a little bit so they weren’t such starkly separated ringlets. 

“There. All done. You can go look now.”

Chloé stood, walking towards the mirror, still holding herself differently. If Marinette wasn’t so used to seeing her walk around school like she owned the place, the new demeanor would almost seem _ natural _on the other girl. Chloé twirled around in front of the mirror, examining her new dress and curls, and carefully pinning back her bangs with the Bee Miraculous. Satisfied, she turned back to Marinette. 

“Well?” 

Marinette blinked, caught off-guard. Chloé caring about _ her _opinion was certainly out of left field, but…she couldn’t deny, it was a striking effect. “It’s perfect. You look basically unrecognizable.” 

A proud look appeared on Chloé’s face: _ that _ was much more recognizable than the withdrawn expression she’d put on as part of the disguise. “Well, of course it is! _ I’m _ the one you had to disguise, after all, and it’s impossible for me to be anything _ less _than perfect.” 

And here came the slightly-exasperated look back on Marinette’s face. “Well...there’s still one more thing you can do. Here, don’t move…” 

She grabbed the ivory sun hat off of her mannequin, and very gently placed it atop Chloé’s blonde curls, the fabric covering the comb. “There. That way, no one will be able to see your Miraculous if they try looking. It’s a sunny day anyway, so you won’t draw any suspicion.” Absently, she brushed a stray curl away from Chloé’s eyes, her thumb lightly skimming against the other girl’s cheek.

A subtle, peachy pink dusted Chloé’s face, and she took a step back from Marinette abruptly, coughing. Her foot caught the base of the mirror, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t care when both it and her wobbled a bit. “_ Ahem _! Ah—well, yes, that’s—helpful. Sure.” 

The finished product was certainly impressive. You had to look closely to even _ sort of _see the resemblance between this Chloé and the regular one: if one didn’t know any better, they’d think that Chloé had some sort of secret twin sister or something. The thought made Marinette smirk.

Chloé narrowed her eyes. “What’s so funny, Dupain-Cheng?”

Marinette covered her mouth, but still snickered. “Oh, nothing.”

She tilted her head in confusion, then apparently decided it didn’t matter. Chloé reached into her pocket to confirm that whatever Pollen had put there was _ still _there, and let out a breath. “Pollen,” she called, and soon, the little yellow kwami was zipping through the air to be by her Queen’s side. 

A small gasp cut through the air as Pollen hovered in front of Chloé. “Majesty,” she said softly. “You look beautiful.” 

For a moment, Chloé’s expression softened again, but it was quickly replaced by pride. “Well, of course I do! It’s...still sweet of you to say so, though.”

Pollen turned in the air, giving a small bow to Marinette. “Thank you so much for aiding my Queen, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” the kwami said, keeping an air of professionalism. It wouldn’t do for Chloé to figure out somehow that they already knew each other. “I am truly grateful—this debt will not be forgotten.”

Marinette waved her hand in a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture. “Oh, well...anything to help one of Paris’ heroes,” she said, glancing at Chloé. 

Chloé blinked, narrowing her eyes as though trying to figure out if that statement had been sarcastic, then simply nodded. 

“You should probably get going, if you’re going to run into Ladybug,” said Marinette. “Transforming won’t mess up your disguise, will it?”

“No,” answered Pollen in Chloé’s stead, gaze flicking back and forth between the two girls. “Transforming or detransforming shouldn’t affect how you look as a civilian: our magic prevents that.” 

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. “Well—after you transform, you can go out the sunroof to the balcony. That should probably let you use your, um...spinning top? And grapple a building or something.” Hopefully she sounded convincing. While she did have practice in playing dumb, trying to sell that she was as ignorant as most other civilians to another Miraculous holder wasn’t as easy, especially given that she knew Chloé personally. 

The blonde nodded, glancing over at Pollen. “Are you ready to do this?”

Pollen dipped her head respectfully. “Of course, my Queen. Just say the word.” 

A bright grin lit up Chloé’s face: Marinette had only ever seen it when around the little kwami. “Pollen, _ transforme-moi!” _

Marinette squinted against the golden light that enveloped her room, and when she could see again, where Chloé once stood, Queen Bee had taken her place. Whatever Chloé had in her cardigan pocket had been transferred to the heroine’s closed hand: unfortunately, Chat Noir was still the only one among the active superhero squad who actually had pockets. Honestly, it was ridiculous. While Ladybug did have her yoyo and its own ‘bag of holding’ ability, it wasn’t really the same as having a nice pair of pockets.

Transformed now, Chloé still looked the same as she normally did while powered up, and Marinette tilted her head. “I guess it was too much to hope that you’d look a little different when you transformed, too.” Of course, she knew otherwise, but wouldn’t that have been convenient? 

Queen Bee glanced at herself in the mirror before shrugging. “Well, why mess with perfection? I’ll just have to be sneaky. I can do that, no problem.” 

Grabbing her top, she undid the top part of what Marinette knew to be the phone feature. A moment of silence passed, and Queen Bee spoke into what functioned as the receiver. “Ladybug? This is Queen Bee—I know, _ technically _ I shouldn’t have my Miraculous, but it’s a really long story, and I need to talk to you ASAP. Call me once you get this message so we can meet up somewhere. It’s _ really _important.” Once the message was done, she replaced the top’s parts and put it back on its place around her waist.

She glanced upwards to Marinette’s bed where the sunroof was located, but didn’t move for a moment. It was hard to tell under her mask, but it looked like that peachy pink had come back. 

“I...um. Y’know, that stuff my kwami said—I think it, too. That is. Ugh, why is this so _ hard?” _

Marinette could feel a small smile of her own coming to her face. “Hey. It’s okay. I get it.”

“No, Dupa—Marinette. This is important. You helped me out a lot, and Pollen too, and I just...I’m not good with this sort of thing, but. You know. I want to get better. So. Um. Thank you. Really.” 

Marinette’s eyes widened slightly at the phrase, and her smile got a little bigger. Strange as this was, it was...nice, to see Chloé trying. She really wanted to get better—to _ be _better. A warm feeling—maybe something like pride—rose in her chest, and she gestured towards the window.

“Of course. Now, get out there and help save Paris, Queen Bee.” 

The superheroine nodded, determination all over her face, then jumped up onto Marinette’s bed ( and if she accidentally jumped a bit too high and hit her head slightly, well, that was between her and the ceiling, because Marinette certainly didn’t see anything ) and opened the sunroof. 

Just as Marinette was about to call Tikki out of hiding, Queen Bee paused. “Be careful, Marinette. Okay? I’ve still gotta give you that dress back. I’d never keep that thing longer than I had to.” 

Marinette scoffed. “Sure. You too.” 

The superheroine nodded, without looking back, and climbed out of the window, shutting it behind her. From inside, Marinette could hear the _ zip _sound of the top’s wire, so similar to that of her own weapon. A flash of yellow soared by her window, then disappeared behind rooftops. 

Marinette stared out of the glass for a moment until Tikki landed on her shoulder. “We should go, Marinette,” the kwami advised. “If Hawk Moth’s still on the lookout for Queen Bee, then the sooner we can meet up with her and find out what’s going on, the better.” 

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. “You’re right, Tikki. Were you able to talk to Pollen?” 

Tikki’s eyes lit up, and she nodded happily. “Well, we weren’t able to really _ talk _without being overheard, but it was so nice to see her. The last time I did was the Sandboy incident, and I didn’t get the chance to see her specifically, since everyone was there.”

The girl smiled at her kwami—Tikki’s happiness had always been contagious. “She seems very sweet, and I think she cares about Chloé a lot. Now: we’ve got a bee to meet. Tikki, _ transforme-moi!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright ! chapter two in the bag ! this got...significantly more shippy than i imagined it to be, but what can i say, i'm chlonette trash. honestly, i'm not entirely sure how i feel about this chapter—a lot of it is just describing motion, but it's hard to leave that sort of thing out sometimes, y'know? 
> 
> anyway, since canon of course completely disappointed me with part two, looks like this rewrite is still in business. honestly, good—my girls deserve better, and i'm actually having fun writing this, so. 
> 
> i've already got a plan for chapter three, so yay ! i hope that i'll be able to get it out a little sooner, but with both school and other things taking up my time, that's up in the air. however, nice reviews are always incentive !
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter ! ^^


	3. queen and lady.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which queen bee and ladybug meet up, and some things are explained.

That had been...something. 

‘Something’ was really the only word Queen Bee could think of to describe it. While she had managed to swallow her pride and ask for help, she’d expected Marinette Dupain-Cheng to either fall at her feet in awe or maybe refuse to help her out of jealousy. 

Well, no. She hadn’t really thought that. The latter would have made more sense than the former—not the jealousy part, but...why would Marinette Dupain-Cheng help _ her? _

_ Because she’s a good person. And you hate that, because you see how she’s loved, and you want it for yourself, _ a small voice said _ . _ It was neither malicious nor comforting—it was just very matter-of-fact. _ She’s useful, and kind, and she has friends and people who care for her. She helped you because it was the right thing to do, despite your past with her. _

She couldn’t ascribe a specific person to that train of thought, because it didn’t sound like her, really, or anyone else she knew, but it still made her curl her fist around the Peacock Miraculous tighter, even tighter: tight as she could without worrying that it would break. It was much easier to pretend that they clashed because Dupain-Cheng was _ jealous, _ or didn’t have as much money, or as _ good _ a life. Chloé had the _ best _life in Paris. Obviously. 

Or because she’d never gotten over _ losing _Chloé’s friendship when they were younger, and was taking it out on her now.

None of that was true, and Chloé knew it...but she’d still held onto those ideas, because it took the blame off of her. She could pretend that their squabbles were all Marinette’s fault, because that was _ easy. _

But...being a hero sometimes _ wasn’t _ easy. Being a _ good person... _ didn’t come easily for her. Swallowing her pride and asking for help hadn’t been easy, nor had just _ thanking _the other girl been easy. 

Chloé...didn’t like that. Why had it been so hard for her to just say ‘thank you’ at first? 

Not to mention the way her face had gotten hotter, and her legs had gotten a little wobbly, especially when Marinette had brushed that loose curl away from her face…

Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts from her mind. Now wasn’t the time. Now, she had to lay low: stay out of the open skies, and maybe pick a place to stay until she got a call back from Ladybug. 

The thought of her hero made her feel better. Ladybug was going to be _ so _proud of her! Once Bee told her what had happened, and showed her the brooch, and they figured out what to do...Ladybug would see that she was serious about the ‘being a hero’ thing. 

It wasn’t just about fame anymore ( though, she wouldn’t lie. It would be kind of nice, to be universally adored as Queen Bee. She’d tried that, and gone about it the wrong way, which was what started this whole mess to begin with ). She wanted to help the heroes in any way she could, because that was what being a _ good person _was about.

She would be useful. People would like her. _ Ladybug _would like her. 

It was going to be perfect. 

There was still part of her, though, the part that recoiled from the idea of needing anyone_ or _ their approval, that hissed and spat and _ refused. _ She’d gotten this far without really, properly caring about _ anyone _ ( with...maybe two exceptions, and anyway, those were on _ her _ terms ) _ , _ paying no mind if they loved her or loathed her. She had servants, and that was _ better _ than friends, because servants did what you told them and couldn’t leave, unless you got tired of them and fired them and got new ones, and wasn’t that _ better _?

_ Ladybug didn’t think of giving you your Miraculous, _ it said, bitter as espresso. _ She gave one to that dragon girl, because she didn’t think you were _ ** _good enough_ ** _ . Hawk Moth was right—you’ve done so much for her, and she hasn’t paid you back what you deserve. She thinks she doesn’t need you. You could show her. You could show all of them. _ ** _You_ ** _ don’t need _ ** _her_ ** _ . You don’t need _ ** _anyone_ ** _ . _

Queen Bee bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood, and almost crash-landed onto a nearby rooftop before ducking behind the nearby chimney, sliding down the brick and onto the tiles, and clutched at her head. 

No. _ No. _ She wasn’t going to do this. Ladybug didn’t give her the Bee Miraculous because it was _ dangerous. _ People knew who she was. _ Hawk Moth _ knew who she was. He’d used that knowledge against her. _ Multiple _ times: with Sabrina, and her parents, and...these were the thoughts that had lead to Hawk Moth thinking he could _ use _ her, _ bribe _ her: get her on his side when she would _ never _do that. 

Those thoughts were very easy to put a voice to. If she didn’t know any better, she would think that the horrible man was whispering in her ear again. 

But she’d beaten him before. Twice, now. She could ( and _ would _) do it again, if he dared to try. 

...She really wished she could talk to Pollen right now, but didn’t dare transform back: she might slip off the roof, or be noticed, and while superheroes on the rooftops of Paris were commonplace by now, blonde girls with their knees curled close to their chests, holding their heads and choking back sobs, was very much _ not, _and the last thing she needed was someone calling the fire department or something. 

A sweet chirp pulled her out of her thoughts ( thank god ), and she glanced down at her trompo: the pointed top was glowing a light green, and Bee gasped, immediately fumbling to remove it from her waist. Someone—certainly Ladybug—was calling her. 

Normally, she would be happy, but it felt like a cold stone was sitting in the bottom of her stomach, leeching away all her body heat. Were her hands trembling? Queen Bee would never admit she was afraid to anyone else—she hated admitting it to herself enough, thanks very much—but...what if Ladybug just showed up and demanded the Miraculous back? Even after everything?

After a few more seconds of scrambling, she was finally able to unscrew the top’s...top. “_ A-Allô?” _

“Queen Bee,” came Ladybug’s voice, followed by her face displayed on the screen. Chloé couldn’t place a specific emotion to her tone, and it felt like something heavy was sitting in her stomach. “I got your message. Where are you? What’s happening?” 

“I—I’m...uh, just a second, I’m not...really sure,” said Bee, words heavy on her tongue. From what she could see of Ladybug on her end, she was also hopping rooftops, but it didn’t sound like she was very close—she’d be able to hear the trademark _ zip _of her akuma capture wire. 

Peeking out from behind the chimney, Queen Bee peered down at the nearby street, scanning the sides for some kind of road sign. A few moments of searching told her that she was on the intersection of Avenue Carnot and Rue Charles Rhôné, and she relayed that to Ladybug. 

“I’m...I don’t know what building I’m on, but it’s pretty tall, compared to the other ones, and I’m behind the big, white-brick chimney.” 

“Yes, I know which one you’re talking about. Sit tight—I’ll be there in just a minute,” said Ladybug. Bee merely nodded before they both hung up. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, even when she told them to knock it off. 

That oh-so-familiar _ zip _ sound cut through the air, and there were footsteps on the rooftop, and Queen Bee was suddenly seized by two conflicting desires: stay as still as she could, or bolt. Honestly, neither sounded very _ appealing, _ for different reasons, but the choices were loud and almost _ frantic _in her mind. The former won out, however, and she probably looked like a wax figure when Ladybug turned the corner. 

Her hero’s face was indecipherable. From what she could tell, anyway: her gaze was firmly fixated on one of the loose rooftop tiles. It didn’t seem like she was angry ( or even all that confused at this development ), but she wasn’t jumping for joy to see Bee, either. The Peacock Miraculous almost seemed to _ burn _in her palm. 

For a moment, neither of them spoke: Queen Bee wasn’t sure where to start. Should she just...present Mayura’s miraculous in a desperate bid to gain praise, and keep her own? Start from the beginning? Say _ please, please don’t just take the comb and leave, I want to help and I can’t do it without the Miraculous? _

Perhaps sensing the tension in the air, Ladybug noticeably softened, and she slowly crouched down to where the other girl was kneeling, with her back still against the chimney. She reached out and placed a hand on Bee’s shoulder. It was so, _ so _hard not to flinch, but the bee managed, and finally looked Ladybug in the eye. 

“Chloé...” she said quietly. If it were anyone else, Queen Bee would have gotten offended at the lack of respect ( if any of the other heroes called her that, she was _ quick _to correct them ), but with Ladybug...the sound of her actual name, said so carefully, was its own kind of magic. 

Her eyes started to sting with tears, and Chloé swallowed. A similar scene, one on the palace’s rooftop, played back silently in her head. 

The heroine continued. “I’m not angry at you or anything. I promise. It’s just very important that you tell me what happened so I can figure out what we’re going to do next.” 

_ What _ ** _we’re _ ** _ going to do next. _ That was a good sign, right? It certainly didn’t _ sound _ like Ladybug was just going to listen, take the comb, and then leave her stranded in hiding somewhere. It...wasn’t a _ royal _we, or a ‘we’ that only meant herself and Chat Noir. Right?

Surely she could recognize that the more people on her side, the better: it was like her daddy said. _ Sometimes, you have to accept help from people you don’t expect—allies even from strange places can be very helpful, and it’s better than making them enemies. _

Of course, that was usually in justification for his taking of somewhat-sketchy bribes, but the sentiment was the same. It had already proven correct when she’d gotten help from Marinette. 

Queen Bee took a breath. This interaction really wasn’t going the way she’d pictured ( she’d been imagining more of a triumphant recollection of how she’d resisted Hawk Moth, and snatched Mayura’s miraculous, and worked hard to stay low and keep it safe before she could relay the events to her hero. She certainly hadn’t thought she’d be practically petrified ), but that was fine. She could salvage this. 

She started from the beginning: when she’d first seen Ladybug with that dragon girl. If a small flash of guilt appeared on Ladybug’s face, Chloé didn’t notice: she was too busy trying to remember and repeat as much as she could of what Hawk Moth had said, _ exactly: _every single detail could be important when it came to taking him down. 

“I didn’t believe him at all, you know,” she said quickly, holding up her hands: even the one still closed around the brooch. “I had faith in you, Ladybug. I just went along with what he was saying so I could trick him.” 

Ladybug smiled softly, and, _ oh _ . If Chloé could have that smile on her all the time, being a hero would actually _ be _ easy. “Don’t worry, Bee, I believe you. Keep going. What happened after that?” 

“Well, after I got the Miraculous back and he de-akumatized my parents, I had an idea: if Mayura was around, she’d probably try and stop me if _ I _ tried anything, or—I don't know, ambush me if I ran, or something. So I basically asked him to call her over where we were standing.” Now they were getting into territory that she hadn’t gone into when explaining to Marinette: the fewer people who knew that Mayura was out of action, the better. 

Ladybug’s eyes widened slightly, and she subtly glanced down at Bee’s closed fist, but remained silent, gesturing for the other girl to continue. 

“When they both were there, I said stuff about how basically I’d never betray you, then I tried to Venom strike Hawk Moth, but Mayura jumped in the way…I wasn’t able to do much else before I left trying to find you, but I _ did _get you a present,” said Queen Bee, a small, proud smile finally coming to her face. 

She held her hand out and uncurled her fingers, revealing the Peacock Miraculous. Its blues and greens were a stark contrast against the black and yellow of the suit fabric covering her hand, but Bee was hardly paying attention to the brooch: instead, she was focused on Ladybug. 

The spotted superheroine’s eyes were blown wider than Chloé had ever seen them: she didn’t seem to know what to do. Carefully, as though afraid it wasn’t real, she took the Miraculous out of Queen Bee’s hand, gazing at it intently. 

“I couldn’t tell who Mayura’s identity was before they fled,” said Bee, an apology in her tone. “But we’ve got her Miraculous—that’s good, right? Now she can’t be out in the field, and we don’t need to worry about any sentimonsters trying to mess with us.” 

Ladybug didn’t reply, still staring at the brooch. Such a single-minded intensity was usually only saved for Lucky Charm items, and it was honestly kind of intimidating. Queen Bee could practically hear all the thoughts moving around in her head, but had no hope of understanding any of them. 

After what felt like hours, Ladybug finally looked back at Bee, her gaze still fierce, and Chloé felt a chill run down her spine. This was it. Make or break time. 

“Queen Bee,” said Ladybug. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“I...”

“You have helped Paris more than you can possibly imagine. Hawk Moth is now down one of his most capable allies, and you have recovered a Miraculous previously thought lost to us forever.”

Chloé’s breath caught in her throat. _ Was...was this real? _

Something that could only be described as gratitude appeared on Ladybug’s face, and she took Queen Bee’s hand in her free one. “You have done a _ fantastic _job. I am very proud of you.”

This was a dream. It had to be. There was no way something so wonderful could be possibly happening—she was imagining it. She’d dreamed of this so much, the idea of it actually occurring felt far away, like wisps of smoke she could never hope to grab onto. She’d almost given up hope. 

And it would have been easy to play back into her old attitude. _ Of _ ** _course _ ** _ I did, Ladybug, _ she could say. _ I’m a hero, after all. I’d never let you down: I’m clearly made for this. You should have trusted me more. Maybe if I’d been able to be Queen Bee permanently, we could have taken down those two losers even sooner, but better late than never, right? Now let’s go storm their castle. _

But even as she _ thought _ those words, Chloé recoiled. She couldn’t place a name to why the idea disgusted her so much, but it felt like _ poison. _She clenched her fists, re-creating the crescent moons even though the material of her suit. A shaky breath passed her lips, and she could see Ladybug tilt her head, equal parts curiosity and concern.

Queen Bee lifted her head, looking every bit like the regal persona she tried to project.

“Of course, Ladybug. It...it was only because of my faith in you that I was able to resist him. So—thank you.” 

Ladybug blinked, but didn’t reply immediately, instead merely squeezing Bee’s hand gently. After a moment, she looked back down at the Peacock Miraculous, the same intensity returning to her eyes. 

Queen Bee leaned over, peering at it as well. “It’s not very _ inconspicuous, _is it?” she asked, trying to rid herself of this strange funk that had come over her. The sooner they could get down to business, the better, and maybe if she just went along with everything, Ladybug would let her keep the Miraculous. 

Ladybug merely hummed a noise of affirmation in response, though it still sounded distant. It was almost as though she was transfixed by the thing…

It made Chloé slightly uneasy, watching her stare at the brooch. “Um. Ladybug?”

The sound of her name apparently did something, as Ladybug looked back up at Queen Bee: the look in her eyes reminded her of someone snapping out of a dream. She opened her mouth as if to say something before hesitating, looking back at the Miraculous in hand. For a moment, Chloé was worried she would become mesmerized by it again, but Ladybug merely set her jaw. 

“It’s damaged. Badly.” 

Queen Bee blinked, caught off guard. “I-I didn’t _ do _anything to it: I tried my best to keep it as safe as I could.” Despite her best efforts, she just sounded defensive, but Ladybug shook her head. 

“No—you couldn’t have done this. I can’t even tell you how I know, but it’s like...a feeling. Something is _ very _wrong with this Miraculous. It’s a wonder Mayura was able to use it as much as she did. This brooch...it’s practically toxic.” 

Bee’s brow furrowed, and she looked at the Miraculous, trying to sense for herself what was so wrong with it. Other than being _ terribly _tacky, of course. But, try as she might, nothing seemed unusual to her about the thing. It didn’t even pull her into any kind of trance, the way it had to Ladybug. She glanced back up at the other heroine. 

“Well...do you think the kwami in there knows anything? Maybe we could ask them.” 

Ladybug frowned down at the Miraculous. “Duusu.”

For a split second, Bee wondered if she should say ‘_ bless you’, _but after a moment, she had to stop herself from facepalming. Duh. That was probably the kwami’s name. 

Ladybug continued, still contemplative. “I don’t know...she might be able to tell us something. But...even putting this thing on wouldn't be a good idea. The energy coming off of it is _ bad. _You wouldn’t even need to transform for it to start affecting you.”

It wasn’t until that moment that Chloé realized just how little she actually _ knew _about these jewels, especially in comparison to her hero. Of course, she knew the basics—to every Miraculous, there was a kwami; they had names and probably favorite foods and were most likely very different from each other, based on the sheer variety of powers she’d seen from active holders. To transform, you said the magic words, and after you used your power, you had five minutes. 

But it was easy to forget that there was probably way more to this stuff that she had no idea about. And for a moment, Chloé Bourgeois almost felt very, _ very _out of her depth. 

Almost. And just for a moment. 

“So...what are we going to do now, then?” she asked. “I mean—the best time to strike is now, right? Since Mayura’s out of commision, and Hawk Moth already used an akuma for today.” 

Ladybug curled her fingers around the Miraculous and stared at her closed fist for a moment. When she turned her attention back to Queen Bee, Chloé felt her stomach drop. She knew that expression. That was the expression Jean-Michel wore whenever he was “_ very sorry, mademoiselle, but your father cannot join you for dinner tonight”. _

Sympathy, and pity. She _ hated _pity. 

And there was only one turn of events that would cause an expression to grace Ladybug’s features. She didn’t even have to see the heroine’s small upwards glance towards the comb currently resting among blonde locks. 

“We—we can find Chat Noir, if you think that’ll help,” she said, loathing the note of desperation in her voice, but still practically pleading, without even saying the words.

_ No. No, please. _

“The three of us can find Hawk Moth and take him down. We could even get Rena Rouge, and Carapace: we beat him before, we can do it again. Even though I’ve got no doubt you and I could just...do it ourselves…”

Her sentence trailed off as Ladybug continued to look at her sadly.

“Chloé…” Ladybug began, and Queen Bee’s jaw clenched. “Hawk Moth knows who you are. I tried to tell you this, back when your friend got akumatized into Miraculeur, but...you’ve got a target on your back. Especially now that you’ve gotten the Peacock from them. And Queen Bee’s mask isn’t enough to keep you safe.”

“Then—then I can use the Peacock! If I use it, he won’t know who I am, and—”

“_ No!” _ said Ladybug sharply. Queen Bee flinched. She’d never heard Ladybug sound so...unyielding about something before, not like this. Her determination against akuma was one thing: this time...it almost sounded like she was _ scared. _

“No,” she repeated, softer this time. “I can’t allow that. Not in the state that it’s in. That would be signing your _ death warrant, _ Chloé, and I’m not about to do that. _ No one _is using the Peacock. End of story.” 

That...made sense, but… 

“Then what am I supposed to _ do?” _ demanded Queen Bee, getting louder and louder with each word. “I’m not about to just go into _ hiding, _Ladybug! Not when I can help you!” 

“The _best _thing you can do to help me is _stay safe.”_

_ And out of the way. _

_“NO!” _shouted Chloé, standing up suddenly. “I can’t—I can’t just _do _that! I couldn’t live with myself if I just...ran away with my tail between my legs!”

“And _ I _ couldn’t live with myself if you got _ hurt _ or _ worse _ because you can’t listen to reason!” shouted Ladybug back, brows furrowed and eyes hard. “Don’t you understand? Not only did you _ blatantly defy _ him, but you _ stole _ the Peacock from his accomplice! He’s probably _ hoping _ you’ll try and storm right up to his front door so he can get revenge on you _ personally!” _

Queen Bee faltered a bit. She couldn’t take any more steps backward—her back was still against the brick of the building’s chimney. 

She wasn’t _ scared. _Not of him. She’d already proven she was up to the task of fighting him when he’d dared to finally show his face, lounging about the Eiffel Tower like he owned it, bathed in scarlet. She hadn’t hesitated then, and didn’t want to now. 

Ladybug was right, though. She was _ always _right; things were different now. The entire reason she’d gotten help from Marinette was because Hawk Moth’s sights on her were sharper than ever, with what she had done. Whatever he planned to do, however he thought to do it: he would certainly seek vengeance. 

But that would happen with or without a mask. 

Queen Bee stared at Ladybug with as much determination as she could muster. “Whether I’m Chloé or Queen Bee, he’s going to be gunning for me,” she said, voice low and tone even. 

_ “ _ I’ve...I’ve really messed up. But if I come with you, I can at least try to atone. What better way to start than by taking down Hawk Moth? Especially since...he thought he could use me to fight against you. And I can’t...I can’t do it without the Miraculous. Queen Bee can _ help. _ Queen Bee is _ powerful, _ and _ useful. _Chloé...”

She bit her tongue again, her teeth sinking into the wound she’d created on the way here. 

“Chloé is _ useless. _” 

Tears started to prick at her eyes: they ran down her mask and onto her cheeks, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. Everything was blurry. Her sight, her limbs, even her thoughts. They all felt like they’d been covered in a thin layer of static. 

She couldn’t see Ladybug reach out to her, and it was hard to feel her hand set carefully upon her shoulder. Her throat felt like it had closed up. It was hard to catch breath, and they weren’t high enough to pretend that it was the thin air. 

God, she hated crying. 

They stood there in silence for a moment before Ladybug finally spoke up, voice soft: a stark contrast to the sharp, pragmatic tone she’d had just a second ago. “No. Chloé _ isn’t _useless. Chloé was able to resist Hawk Moth not once, but twice. She’s helped take down formidable foes, and even though she’s made mistakes, she’s also tried to fix them. And that’s one of the most important parts of being a superhero.”

Chloé wanted to object. The only reason she’d been able to _ do _any of those things was because of the Miraculous. But she remained silent, finally meeting Ladybug’s gaze. 

Ladybug seemed to contemplate something for a moment. She studied Chloé carefully, and it almost felt like the heiress was being x-rayed. She unclipped her akuma capture from her hip and flicked open the top compartment, revealing—with a glimmer of pink sparkle—what appeared to be a void. 

Carefully, she placed the Peacock Miraculous into the yoyo, but she didn’t close the top. 

“Chloé,” said Ladybug. “Do you really want to help us defeat Hawk Moth, once and for all? Because there is a way for you to do that, but you would have to give me back your Miraculous. You would have to trust me.” 

Chloé hesitated. She _ did _trust Ladybug. She did! She wouldn’t have been able to resist that akuma if she hadn’t, nor blindside Hawk Moth. But...what could she do, if she wasn’t Queen Bee? 

After a moment, she nodded, taking the Miraculous out of her hair. Queen Bee disappeared with a flash of golden light, almost like lightning, running up her body from head to toe, and Pollen appeared next to her, hovering in the air. The little kwami’s head turned to look between Chloé and Ladybug, confusion in her eyes, and Chloé wished she could explain what was going on, but instead kept her focus on Ladybug. 

The superheroine’s eyes went over Chloé up and down, a slightly surprised look on her face, and Chloé remembered that—oh, yeah—she was still in disguise. Her hands picked up folds of the dress’ skirt, and she ran a thumb over the fabric. The curls picked up the wind, slightly tickling her face. 

“I...thought it’d be a good idea to be as incognito as possible, so I got...help from a friend,” said Chloé, smoothing out a stray wrinkle. 

Ladybug’s brow raised, but she didn’t say anything, instead nodding. She held out a red-clad hand, and with a small exhale, Chloé put the comb atop Ladybug’s palm. 

“Majesty?” 

She turned to look to Pollen, who looked remarkably confused, and more than a little sad. Carefully, Chloé took the little kwami into her hands and brought her up to her cheek for a hug. “It’s alright, Pollen. We’ve just...gotta trust in Ladybug. Okay?” 

Pollen hummed sadly against Chloé’s skin, hugging back as best as she could. Oh...Chloé was going to miss her. Dearly. Maybe...maybe she’d get the chance to see her again, but for now, her faith was in Ladybug. 

“Bye, Pollen.”

“Goodbye, my Queen,” she replied, sounding a little choked up. A small kiss was gently pressed to Chloé’s cheek, just below where her mask would sit, and then she was gone. Disappeared, back into the Miraculous. 

Chloé watched as the comb was set inside the yoyo and blinked back her tears. There’d been too much crying on her end, today, and besides. This didn’t...have to be goodbye forever. 

A hand took hers for a split second before it was gone. 

“Chloé Bourgeois,” said Ladybug. Chloé knew that tone. That was the same way she’d sounded when she’d first offered a small, red and black box to her: properly, this time. It felt like so long ago. Reaching into the yoyo, the heroine pulled out what looked like a choker: a small red bead sat in the center of the cord, and she let it pool in her palm, holding it out just slightly that Chloé could see it.

“This is the Miraculous of the Dragon. With it, you will be able to transform into three different elements: water, wind, and lightning. After you use all three, you’ll have five minutes before you transform back. You’ll have to return it to me when the mission is over. Can I trust you to use this Miraculous, and help us defeat Hawk Moth, once and for all?”

“Of course, Ladybug.” It wasn’t even a question, and she needed no time to think about it. It wasn’t about fame or praise anymore. No one would know she was using the Dragon; no one but Ladybug. This was about fighting alongside her hero and freeing their city.

Hawk Moth had kept Paris hostage for too long. He had targeted the people _ she _cared about, and that was unforgivable. Completely unforgivable. If Chloé could help in any way to bring him down, she would, without hesitation. The necklace was placed into her palm, and she fastened it around her neck.

The small ball of light was a brilliant red instead of the yellow she was used to, and when it faded, Chloé found herself face-to-face with a Pollen-sized _ dragon, _like something out of a storybook. For a moment, the kwami looked slightly confused: they glanced over at Ladybug, who made a ‘go on’ gesture at them. 

The kwami bowed, and Chloé felt a pang in her chest at the familiar gesture. “Good day to you, Miss Bourgeois. My name is Longg—I am the kwami of the Dragon Miraculous.” 

The blonde nodded her head in greeting, still not trusting herself to speak just yet. She took a deep breath. 

“Hello, Longg. Ladybug’s told me what your powers are…”

“Ah, yes. Elemental transformation. Quite a powerful set, if I do say so myself,” replied Longg, his tone shifting from polite to proud with only a few words. A very small smile started to tug at Chloé’s lips, but she bit the inside of her cheek. 

“I’m used to Pollen’s power, so working with yours may be kind of difficult to get used to.” 

“Nonsense! Pollen is a very respectable kwami, and her power is nothing to sneeze at. She’s spoken of you before: highly, I might add. I am honored to work with someone she regards with such pride, and I have no doubt you’ll catch on quickly.” 

Okay—that got her. If anything could cheer Chloé up, it was being complimented, and while at first Longg’s similar mannerisms just made her miss Pollen even more, he was starting to grow on her all his own. 

“Besides,” he continued. “I have full trust in Ladybug to make the right choices.” 

That got Chloé to nod again, this time, determination in her expression. Right. This was because she trusted Ladybug, and Ladybug trusted in her. She wasn’t about to waste that trust. 

“Okay. Longg, _ transforme-moi!” _

As the kwami disappeared into the Miraculous, Chloé could feel a similar power envelope her body as when she wore the comb, but this was...slightly different. While Pollen’s power had been beautiful but deadly, Longg was elegant but powerful. It, of course, didn’t take long for the transformation to happen, but time seemed to work differently with the energy running up and down her body. 

When she opened her eyes, Chloé Bourgeois was no longer standing opposite Ladybug. Instead, it was another superhero clad in black. 

The silhouette of a long, red reptile coiled around her body, contrasted against the main black of the suit. Its outline was a sparkling gold, and its tail circled her waist before leaving the suit, forming a thin tail of the heroine’s own, ridges in the same brilliant color running down the center. Red accent strips, starting from where the suit’s neck piece ended, raced down her shoulders and arms, culminating in red gloves that ended just below her wrists. Thinner red lines, beginning from the outside of her chest under her arms, formed similar boots as they shot down the outside of her legs. 

On the center of her chest was a familiar emblem, displaying three different elements: water, wind, and lightning. The dragon design almost seemed to hold the circle of elements from the top in a clawed paw. 

Her hair was still curled, though some of it was pulled back from her face and pinned in a low half bun. Just a few inches above her temples were two red and gold horns pointed at an angle, diagonally towards the sky, spiraled in a way that fit right in amongst her ringlets. 

The mask upon her face was spiked similarly to the dragon on her body, following the curves of her cheeks in black, yellow, and red sections. When she opened her eyes, her sclera were as yellow as molten gold, with burnt orange irises and dark red, slit reptilian pupils.

She exhaled, and wouldn’t have been surprised if a small jet of flame had passed her lips. 

Ladybug grinned. “Alright. Now—what’s your name?”

The dragon furrowed her brow. What, indeed...of course, she’d gotten more time to think of a fitting name when the comb had fallen into position, but this was just as important. Admittedly, she didn’t know very much about dragons, but she remembered learning about one type, specifically.

They’d been discussing fairy tales in class, and the traditional ‘princess trapped by a dragon’ had been brought up. The example in the story had been slightly different, and Max had piped up with information that normally would make her eyes glaze over, but now, stuck out in her mind. 

_ ‘Actually, Miss Bustier, the dragon in this story—being bipedal and having a barbed tail—is what is known as a wyvern. They’re usually shown on coats of arms, and they can symbolize royalty as well.’ _

  
“Call me... _ Vouivre.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT. this chapter actually got done a lot sooner than i thought it would—yay! and also, thanks to a wonderful brainstorming session with some lovely friends, i've now got a much clearer picture of where i want this story to go! 
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this one: part of the difficulty of writing chloé redemptions is that it's unrealistic to expect her general personality to just...completely disappear, but i'm a firm believer in the idea that she wants to get better, she just doesn't really know how to go about it ( despite what canon and certain season finales may suggest ). i'm certainly not trying to ignore her mistakes, but the important thing is her desire to fix them. 
> 
> regarding next chapter: this week is going to be really busy for me, so i'll do my best to write as much as i can within a reasonable time period, but it may take a little longer, especially considering this chapter went up a lot earlier than i thought it would. 
> 
> as always, thank you all so much for your lovely comments and kudos! you all really inspire me to keep writing. i love you all very much !


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